San Antonio AORN #4409

President’s Message

The 2001 – 2001 year is off and running.  The transition meeting was a success.  The committee chairpersons are recruiting members and in the process of planning activities.  Don’t miss the opportunity to become involved with one or more committees.  Please contact the committee chairperson of your choice to volunteer.  We tried to write down everyone’s name who volunteered during the last meeting but some names may have been misplaced in the shuffle and we certainly do not want to exclude anyone.  We are going to do a few new, and exciting, things this year.  We will have a Theme for each meeting.  We will coordinate the program topic, refreshments, dessert, and community project with the theme.  Some meetings we will also have a door prize.  Tickets for the door prize will be distributed during the meeting and who knows, you may even get an extra ticket for contributing to the community project.

Septembers meeting will be:

Theme: Grandma Knows Best!

Topic: Grandma’s Wisdom (How do you think your Grandparents would approach the problems you face each day at work?)

Refreshments:  Sufficient to sustain you for the evening but don’t expect gourmet.  Brown Bagging OK.

Dessert:  What goes along with stress?

 Community Project:  Please bring items for the homeless.  One of our member’s (Evelyn Isla) Church provides for the homeless and all donations will be given to the Church to distribute to the homeless.  Items may be clothing, toilet articles, canned food, or whatever you may want to donate.

The results of last year’s survey were taken into consideration and we are trying to meet the request of the majority.  You asked for:

Earlier and shorter meetings – General meeting will be 6-6:30 p.m.

    Networking and Refreshments – 6:30 to 7 p.m. (unless the meeting goes longer)

    Program – 7 to 8 p.m.

    Board meeting will be 5 – 6 p.m.

   Location – We will meet at the TNI Building 4410 Medical, San Antonio.  First floor conference room.  Parking:  You may use the parking lot and will need to take a ticket on your way in.  However, the lot attendant leaves at 7 p.m. and you will not be charged if you leave after that time (thanks to Fran Judd for making these arrangements).  It was suggested that we rotate Facilities and we will look for another possible area on the East or Central side for the latter half of the year.

Dates – The Board approved meeting the second Monday of each month.

I challenge each of you to become active by serving on a committee and attending the meetings, symposium, and our fund raising activities.  Be creative and work with your peers to come up with suggestions for the meeting’s theme, topic, community project and sponsor the evening refreshments (don’t forget the dessert).  Contact Fran Judd or myself if you would like to suggest a speaker.  Get to know the members of the Board and keep them informed so we can make decisions based on the majority of the membership.  Thank you for the privilege of serving as your President.  I look forward to productive and fun year. 

Betty Richter

Would you like to receive the newsletter by email or fax??????

Many individuals expressed interest in receiving the newsletter by email.  The Board would certainly like to consider this avenue of communication, as printing and postage remains one of our largest expenses.  If you are interested, please e-mail Dan Taylor (DanandSusi@aol.com).

Newsletters are mailed to most hospitals, but it seems that they are lost somewhere and not getting posted.  Please e-mail Dan Taylor the name of your facility/department/contact person and the fax number so we can fax a meeting flyer to you.

Gloria Faz has volunteered to do the faxing to the hospitals.

  LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

In June, I went to Washington D.C. to attend the leadership meeting and to lobby on legislative and regulatory issues of importance to our profession.  I was one of 305 perioperative nurses representing AORN.  We met with our Representatives and Senators to explain the vital role of the perioperative registered nurse and urged support for legislation (H.R.822) that would provide for Medicare reimbursement for the surgical first assisting services of CRNFA at the rate of 13.6% of the surgeon’s fee.  We urged Members of Congress to tell the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly the Health Care Financing Administration) to ensure the continued supervisory presence of the registered nurse in the operating room.  I personally visited the offices of Representative Lamar Smith, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, and Senator Phil Graham.  I urge each of you to contact our Representatives and Senators to let them know that you support keeping the registered nurse in the operating room. 

Keep informed, it could cost you your job if you do not.  We are fortunate to have an active legislative committee in our Chapter and they will continue to keep us informed.

Betty Richter

Current Information at Your Fingertips

 Check out these sites

www.texasnurses.org and the Government Affairs section on Alerts & Updates.  From there you can link to:  Texas Legislature Online.

Need the name of your legislators, look them up on:  www.capitol.state.tx.us-“Who Represents Me” – keying in by county, city and zip.

You can get your state Representative’s or Senator’s phone number and address by calling 512-463-0845.

AORN

SAN ANTONIO CHAPTER

 41^st   ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM

 HEALTH  ISSUES FOR THE MATURING WOMAN 35-55

SATURDAY        SEPTEMBER 22, 2001        8:00 – 12:30 P.M.

TEXAS NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE

4410 Medical Drive

San Antonio, Texas 78229

For Information Contact: Ellen Ott, RN or Webmaster